00:00Martin Sklenor is Slovakia's former defense minister.
00:04What we have seen so far coming out of the summit is actually encouraging the leaders found a way to
00:11issue a joint communique,
00:12which in diplomatic terms means that they agree on the topics that they are discussing.
00:18And included in the communique is also language, so text, agreement on how the leaders, the G7 countries,
00:27want to deal with Russia, how they want to support Ukraine.
00:32And that gives me a great level of satisfaction, actually, to see the leaders coming together, including the United States,
00:40and discussing these important issues.
00:42Because for Europe, the situation in Ukraine and Russia's aggressive action are the key threats,
00:49are the key challenges to be dealt for Europe's security with the United States.
00:56And this is what I have seen coming out of the meeting so far.
00:59Well, let's drill down on that and talk about European security.
01:03I wonder, could these current tensions between the United States and Europe, which are well documented,
01:10I wonder, could that accelerate European political and defense and foreign policy integration?
01:16This needs another approach, the situation needs another approach from Europeans towards their own security and defense.
01:24And they have been hearing this from the United States for the past two or even more decades,
01:30that they have to spend more on their own defense.
01:32They have to provide more capabilities to the common security, to the collective defense system in NATO.
01:39And they have always done the bare minimum just to keep the U.S. engaged in Europe.
01:45And this is changing.
01:47Europeans understand the changing nature of the relationship with the United States.
01:53They are willing to do something about it.
01:55They are spending more. They are investing into capabilities.
01:58They are scaling up the defense industry.
02:00They are taking over more responsibility.
02:02It will take some time.
02:04And what they are asking for, not in direct terms, but what they are requesting from the United States,
02:11is the time that they need to get up to the level that is necessary to take more responsibility.
02:19All of this has, of course, damaged that relationship between the United States and Europe.
02:25Is that damage linked only to this presidency or is it more systemic?
02:31There is certainly challenges. I don't think there's damage.
02:35This is a relationship that is, you know, very important for both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, actually.
02:43And it's really a way to how the partners, how the allies in this relationship are recalibrating the relationship.
02:55I don't think it's here only for the time of the Trump administration.
03:01We see changes both internally in the U.S. and in Europe.
03:06We see big changes on the international scene, which all have an influence on how the transatlantic relationship actually looks
03:14like.
03:15The one that, you know, that we can describe as taking the peace dividend out of that relationship,
03:21that certainly is over and the relationship has to change.
03:25It's going to be a new way of dealing with European security, transatlantic security among NATO allies,
03:31with the United States and Europe, defining new roles and responsibilities in that relationship.
03:39And that's going to then continue also after President Trump's tenure will be over.
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